First Ride: 2025 Yamaha MT-09 SP

The Tail of the Dragon, North Carolina– Not to parade the dramatic, but there are a handful of spots on our map that motorcyclists can call their own. Lesser still are there places where roads wind through greenery unendingly, and the roadside eateries are plentiful, there to nip hunger pangs in the bud or quench thirst on demand. A destination fitting those descriptions might flirt with fantasy, yet rest assured, they are quite real. Our neighbors down South have such gold hidden away in The Great Smoky Mountains, which weaves their way across the Tennessee-North Carolina border, serving up arguably some of the best riding—if not the best BBQ—the region has to offer. Yet, among those many riches, an uninterrupted 11-mile stretch of US Route 129 throws down the gauntlet with 318 exciting turns, better known as The Tail of the Dragon.

Now, if you’re going to slay a dragon, you need a weapon, right? Luckily, the 2025 Yamaha MT-09 SP was quietly waiting in our hotel parking lot, fully fueled and ready for a full day of spirited riding. The MT-09 platform almost needs no introduction, as it rallied riders around it for about a decade. That’s no mere coincidence since the Tuning Fork brand struck a chord with its audience by marrying all the naughty rule-breaking vibes of a supermoto to a brilliant triple-cylinder powerplant and packaged it in an agile chassis, cementing its position as one of the kings in the naked middleweight category.

For an extra few thousand dollars above the standard MT-09, the up-spec SP-badged model ascends to the performance throne with three key upgrades: High-quality KYB suspension, premium Brembo calipers, and racetrack-inspired electronic rider aids. It’s a small list of changes with some profound benefits, making anyone not reaching for the SP variant look a bit foolish—that’s coming from someone who likes the base bike, too.

The truth is, setting out from our home base in Fontana Dam, North Carolina, a rider is faced with an embarrassment of riches when trying to plan a route to the much-lauded Dragon. There is good riding in any direction. Yamaha staffers leading the ride decided to hit the greats, darting through the verdant countryside to the 43-mile-long Cherohala Skyway that can challenge a rider’s focus with its breathtaking views.

A quick cure-all for any distraction is to take advantage of the high-speed, sweeping Skyway and get a taste of what the 890cc inline-three-cylinder engine offers. Yamaha doesn’t cite performance figures in our market, but that doesn’t change the fact that the mill is a rev-happy rapscallion, arming riders with fun-loving amounts of torque that can send the front end aloft with a heart throttle whack. It’s hard not to succumb to its shrieking siren song while winding it out, grabbing gears with its smooth bi-directional quickshifter. The praise is high for this lump, though a spot of bother can be found with a flat spot in 2nd gear, thanks to dastardly EPA noise regulations. That’s no vast hurdle because an ECU reflashing and a set of pipes already on every MT-09 owners to-do list has just become a priority.

All the usual IMU-supported rider aids are in play and with settings adjusted as you’d like, but the SP gains a Track mode, putting up a lap timer on the dash and allowing rear ABS to be disabled, putting more control in the rider’s hands. Oh, there’s a keyless ignition to make you feel a bit more princely.

Racking up the mileage isn’t a pain. No, wind protection isn’t much to speak of in the naked bike class, yet nudging the rider triangle in a slightly sportier direction by lowering the bars and raising the footpegs has improved comfort. By the time we made it to the Dragon, we weren’t worse for wear and still relatively fresh to let the SP chassis show its true strengths.

A rare KYB/Öhlins suspension combination further justifies the uptick in price within a few corners, as it settles and calms the MT-09’s chassis when being whipped into the numerous tight, technical corners found on the dragon. We owe a debt of thanks to the premium DLC-coated fork, heavier spring rates, and updated damping that have somehow created an even sportier machine while keeping things plush: A win-win on the currently perfectly paved Tail of the Dragon. Moreover, the Brembo stopping power has finally given owners some much-needed feel at the brake lever.

Heading to the South can be a pilgrimage for riders, knowing that the Great Smoky Mountains hold a wealth of roads and a community that supports riders. The Dragon is not to be trifled with, but when you’ve got a machine as capable as the MT-09 SP, you’ll want to take more than a few swipes at it.